Marrakech Officials Face Backlash Over $200,000 Luxury Car Rental Plan

A call for tenders has been launched by the town hall of Marrakech for the rental of 10 cars for an amount of more than 2 million dirhams, reports Al Massae. The opening of the bids is scheduled for March 22 and the name of the successful bidder will be revealed. But some civil society actors take a dim view of this operation. "It would have been wiser to devote this substantial sum to supporting the tourism sector, which is the main activity of the city, and to other social categories that have been severely affected by the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic," say officials of the Moroccan Association for the Protection of Public Property (AMPB). In their eyes, this operation constitutes a waste of taxpayers’ money, since the municipal council of Marrakech has a large fleet of vehicles.

They also point out an aberration: the rental of each car would cost 208,800 DH over three years, while the price of its definitive acquisition is 270,000 DH. "It is really regrettable that the political elites of our country strive to maintain the rent in all areas of public life, deplores Mohamed El Ghalloussi, president of the AMPB. The officials of several sectors, public institutions and territorial councils do not hesitate to buy luxury cars at very high prices that can be seen near the beaches and in front of the markets, the school gates, the bars and the nightclubs".